In the mobile concrete delivery industry, improvements which decrease the weight and increase the life and usability of components used in the system may influence the overall productivity and profit of the enterprise. These improvements may include increasing overall payload of the mobile delivery system, increasing service life and reliability of the various components of the system, decreasing maintenance costs and reducing lifting and strain injuries suffered by those employed within the industry who must manipulate such components. Typically in such a system concrete may be delivered to a job site by way of a mobile system comprising a mobile mixer drum and various other means such as pumps, slides, chutes, extensions and other vessels, which may be utilized to transport the concrete from the discharge port of the mixer drum to the intended external placement of the concrete. The total weight burden of such a mobile delivery system while in transit on the public highways may be regulated by law and reducing the weight of delivery system components may increase the efficiency of the system by allowing an increase in the amount of the concrete payload that may be delivered in any single trip to a job site. Typically a mobile concrete delivery system may include about five or six chutes for delivery of the concrete product to its final destination and the chutes may typically be four to six feet long. Extending the wear life of such components may also increase the overall efficiency, and operating profit, of such a system. An additional benefit is the total weight reduction, which can also be beneficial directly to workers in this industry. Also, concrete residue buildup on the components of such a mobile concrete delivery system will need to be cleaned from the components every six to eight weeks through the use of pneumatic or other types of chipping tools. Eliminating or significantly reducing this concrete buildup may enhance payload capacity, eliminate downtime for costly maintenance, or greatly enhance the overall cost efficiency of the system as a whole.
Within the industry components of mobile concrete delivery systems may typically be made from plain carbon steel, such as AR-200, and may not be coated with a wear material. Typically concrete transported in mobile delivery system will adhere to such uncoated components resulting in concrete residue buildup over a period of time. Many approaches have been used to decrease the weight and/or increase the wear life of these components. However, the use of more expensive, harder steel substrates may not provide a weight reduction and may not provide an extension of component life that would justify the increased cost. While utilizing a lighter weight substrate, such as aluminum, may decrease the overall weight of the system, a light weight substrate may decrease the wear life of a component as well. Materials utilized for the components have not been useful in eliminating the concrete residue buildup. Thus, there may be an ongoing need for improvements in maintenance intervals and to the weight and wear life of mobile concrete delivery system components.